He thought of Lily
by QueenKas
Summary: Can you make it to the end? Round 12 - Time slowed and in his last moments he thought of Lily. Warning: Character Death


**A/N: This is a work of fiction using the characters of Harry Potter that are trademarked by J.K. Rowling**

 **Gift-Fic written for: TheRottenJas – Pairing: James x Lily**

* * *

James sat on the floor in front of his son. He was making toys float in the air and revelled in his child's laughter. The infectious giggle filled their home and made his heart swell. He looked up at his wife, Lily, who was curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea. They shared a smile that quickly dropped when they heard the creak of the fence.

James slowly stood up and stepped around the couch to peer outside. He paled instantly when he saw the black robes and gleaming red eyes of the man that was making his way up their walk.

He spun around to lock eyes with his wife, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" he screamed and lunged for his son. He pushed Harry into Lily's arms and forced to towards the stairs. He threw his arm out to the side and his wand slipped from it's holster into his waiting hand.

He braced himself, ready for the attack. He knew deep that today was his last day but he was determined to fight for as long as he could to give his wife and son a chance to escape with their lives. He was prepared to lay down his life for theirs.

The door exploded and James shot out a shield to protect him from the shrapnel. He breathed heavily as the menacing creature that called himself a Lord stepped through the debris and entered him home. Blood red eyes locked with his and the battle commenced.

James fought hard and for as long as possible. He was a talented wizard but he knew he was outmatched. He was tiring and could see that his enemy was still going strong.

James stumbled in his attempted to dodge an incoming spell and when he stood to face the monster once more he saw the dreaded green light heading straight for him. This was it, the end.

Time slowed and in his last moments he thought of Lily.

 _James laughed with his best friend as the talked about the last Quidditch match. He looked around the party smiled at the joy the permeated the common room as everyone celebrated their win over Slyterin. He saw a flash of red in the corner of his eye and looked over to see the beautiful Lily Evans with Alice Prewett. Her head was thrown back as she laughed and James thought she never looked so beautiful._

 _Music pumped into the room and James took his chance. He received encouragement from his friends and a couple slaps to the back from Sirius. James finished his drink in once gulp and steadied his nerves as he approached Lily._

" _Hey Lily-pad" he said with a charming grin on his face._

" _Potter" Lily said with a nod and James was happy to see that she didn't look displeased to see him, like she normally did._

" _Want to dance?" he asked hopefully. He saw her thinking about it and he held his breath waiting for her answer. He saw Alice nudge her friend and shoot her a look. James made a mental note to get her a gift as thank you during the next Hogsmeade visit._

" _Sure" Lily finally said and James was thrilled. He pulled her towards the dance area and pulled her into his arms. They dance late into the night and only took breaks to refill their drinks. The party slowly wound down and soon James and Lily were the last ones left. They sat on the couch just talking. Neither of them noticed but they both slowly fell asleep slumped against one another._

 _James was startled awake by Lily jumping up off the couch and rushing towards the bathroom. James stood up and moved to stand awkwardly in front of the door, unsure what to do. His decision was made for him when he heard the sounds of vomiting coming from inside._

" _Lily, I'm coming in!" he called out and didn't wait for a response before he pushed the door open. He dropped to his knees beside the red-head and reached out to pull her hair back out of the way. One hand held her hair and the other rubbed soothing circles on her back._

 _Lily gasped and finally sat back against James breathing heavily. James was relieved that she was done and hoped that his presence was a little bit of a comfort to her in her time of need. He moved slightly, trying to get into a more comfortable position. At his first movement Lily looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with him._

" _No, stay. Please" she begged, her voice was raspy from the recent bout of sickness._

 _James nodded in acceptance and the pair sat on the bathroom floor together until Lily felt strong enough to stand. James helped Lily to the stairs. She looked back at him and said, "Thanks"_

" _Anytime. Get some rest, yeah" James said and he stood at the bottom of the staircase until he heard the faint sound of her door closing, only than did he go to his room to get some sleep._

* * *

 _James knew that Lily was scared to go into hiding. James was too but he knew that he had to be strong for his wife who was already three months pregnant._

" _It's going to be alright Lily"_

" _You don't know that James" Lily cried, "What if something happens to you, or the baby"_

" _I'm not going to let anything happy to you or the baby" James said and he was sure that Lily noticed that he didn't promise that nothing would happen to him. He couldn't make that promise since James knew he would lay down his life to make sure Lily or Harry survived even one second longer._

 _James hated seeing his wife so distraught but he couldn't help but say, "You're so beautiful" as he wiped away the tears that were cascading down her cheeks._

 _Lily snorted in disbelief._

" _No, I'm serious. You are as beautiful as ever and I'm so in love with you. I'm going to protect you, and this baby" he said as he laid one hand on the barely noticeable bump, "I'm going to protect you until my lungs give out. We're going to be together forever, do you hear me? Even when we're ghosts" he joked and smiled when that earned him a small chuckle._

" _I love you" Lily whispered._

" _I love you" James reciprocated and pressed a firm, loving kiss to his wife's chapped lips. He hoped that they would be together until they were grey and old and had a few dozen grandchildren running around but his gut told him that might not be the case._

* * *

 _James slowly walked up the stairs. He was holding two cups of tea and he had the tray with breakfast on his floating behind him. It was his Lily-Pad's birthday and he planned to make it special. They had only been home from the hospital for a few weeks and it had been a tiring experience for the both of them, but James knew that Lily was doing more than him. He tried his best to help when he could but with Harry being breast-fed there was only so much he could do, Lily was the food source after all._

 _James softly kicked the bedroom door open and was happy to see that Lily was still asleep. He set the tea down on the table beside the bed and sat down on the edge of the bed._

" _Lily" he whispered and stroked her cheek lightly._

 _Lily shifted in sleep and her eyes fluttered. James smiled down at her and said, "Happy Birthday, Love"_

 _He watched as consciousness entered her eyes and saw her smile as she took in the breakfast that he had brought for her._

" _James" she whispered lovingly._

 _James grabbed the tray from the air and placed it in her lap, he then placed the tea on the tray and shot her a proud grin. He was not used to cooking so he desperately hoped that the food was, at the least, edible._

 _They silent moment was disturbed when they both heard the soft cries that came from down the hall._

 _Lily made to get up and James held up his hands, "Stay here Lily, I'll get him"_

 _James wandered down the hall and pushed open the door to the nursery to see his son staring up at him from his crib. He cooed at the boy and carefully picked him up and brought him over to the changing table. After a quick change, he picked up the boy once more and walked back down the hall towards his wife._

" _Look Harry, it's Mummy!" he said in an excited voice._

 _James held his son and looked up at his wife who looked back at him with a soft loving smile adorning her face._

* * *

James was devastated that this was his end. There was so much that he hadn't had a chance to do. He had barely lived his life and it was now over, before it truly began.

The green light struck his chest and before darkness flooded his vision his last thought was a prayer that his wife and son had escaped and were safe.


End file.
